


what if...

by rootbeetfloat (orphan_account)



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Joker (2019)
Genre: Character Study, Father-Daughter Relationship, Joker’s daughter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:15:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27584620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/rootbeetfloat
Summary: What if the Joker had a daughter?••••What fascinates me about serial killers is that they often act completely normal to people they love. There was a serial killer named Israel Keyes who didn’t feel any particular attachment to his girlfriends or friends, but adored his daughter and younger sisters. He would braid their hair and go to parent teacher conferences right after having committed a murder. The Golden State Killer settled down with his family after killing upwards of 50 people. Ted Bundy had a daughter and girlfriend who remained largely oblivious to his actions for the majority of the time he was active. Being a serial killer and being a loving person are not mutually exclusive. So what about the Joker? Who does he love?
Relationships: The Joker & Original Female Character
Kudos: 4





	what if...

**Author's Note:**

> i was bored so...here you go lol

What fascinates me about serial killers is that they often act completely normal to people they love. There was a serial killer named Israel Keyes who didn’t feel any particular attachment to his girlfriends or friends, but adored his daughter and younger sisters. He would braid their hair and go to parent teacher conferences right after having committed a murder. The Golden State Killer settled down with his family after killing upwards of 50 people. Ted Bundy had a daughter and girlfriend who remained largely oblivious to his actions for the majority of the time he was active. Being a serial killer and being a loving person are not mutually exclusive. So what about the Joker? Who does he love?

It is seen in comics that he legitimately cares for Harley Quinn at times, but like any domestic abuser, he still hurts her. Just like how Israel Keyes took advantage of his known partners. But imagine if the Joker had somebody he cared for. Maybe it’s a son– many male serial killers have difficulty caring for women but see their sons as men to respect. But then again a lot of times other men in a household leave them feeling threatened. As was the case with Keyes, he only felt affection for his younger sisters and his daughter despite having a father and brothers, as well as fellow Army servicemen, in his life. He cared for his daughter to the point where he only negotiated with police in order to make sure his daughter would be safe and never find out about his crimes. 

So maybe the Joker has a daughter. The daughter could’ve been born before his Joker days, when he was just Jack Napier. Perhaps a result of a fling, as it’s unlikely the Joker would find himself close enough to actually marry someone. It is clear in the comics that the Joker disliked the overt attachment of Harley Quinn. 

So he has a daughter from a fling–maybe the mother dies naturally or maybe he kills the mother, either way the mother is not in the picture. The Joker is fundamentally a narcissist. He needs admiration and recognition like some people need air. Of course, as his mind twists, he doesn’t necessarily need positive admiration; not when he can subside on a healthy dose of fear. But maybe he needs his little girl’s admiration even if he doesn’t understand why he needs it. That little smile she gives him or the way she’ll run to the door when he gets home to hug him. He can’t have someone else stealing that attention from him. If there’s no mother, there’s no competitor.

If he has his little girl pre-Joker days, it’s likely that his little girl might eventually find out a bit of his night life (or day life, as he falls deeper down the rabbit hole). She might be a little confused why her daddy has blood on his shirt or a mysterious amount of makeup in the house, but he is still her dad. Her dad who makes her breakfast in the mornings, who helps her with homework and braids her hair before bed so she can get those perfect curls like on TV. She might be a little confused at times though. Why does daddy’s girlfriend flinch when he slams the door a little too loudly? Why does he periodically dye his hair green? Why is daddy in prison? Why does daddy have scars?  
Some of the answers are given to her, although not all answers are truthful. Daddy likes the color green. Daddy’s scars came from an accident, you should be more sensitive. Daddy’s innocent, sweetheart, don’t listen to those cops. 

••••

She visits him sometimes, in Arkham. Past the imposing gates and into the grey mental prison that disguises itself as a hospital for the mentally ill. She waves to Bane and Ivy and Dr. Freeze. Sometimes, if she has the time, she’ll share a drawing that she made with them. She can tell that they don’t particularly like her daddy, but they soften around her. Very few of Gotham’s rogues live for chaos like the Joker does. Their reasons are far more personal and they find disgust in the Joker’s blatant blood lust. But they can ignore their personal grudges against the Joker and be kind to a little girl. It’s not like anyone else visits them anyway.

It isn’t until she is older that she realizes the depths of her dad’s madness, however. He doesn’t hurt her (he never would) but one day maybe the Joker decides to introduce her to his life. 

••••

Maybe they go on a trip to Ethiopia. She just turned thirteen. He brings her to a warehouse where they meet a haggard young woman and a little boy her age, dressed in a uniform she’s familiar with. It’s Batman’s Robin. Then her dad begins talking and no no no no, what is he doing?The dad she knows would never say such violent things. And the little boy steps in front of the woman to defend what turns out to be his mom and then the unthinkable happens. Robin’s mom steps back from her son and leaves him to the wolves. Leaves him to face her dad alone.

Her dad had never done something like that before. He had never, never not stood up for her. Even to the worst villains in Gotham, he defended her. She had never once questioned her safety in the horrible city that had bled so many. But the woman, the mother, had just completely abandoned her son. And then her dad got out a crowbar....and asked her to do the honors. That little boy looked up to her with pure fear in his eyes. He was only a little younger than her and his mom had just abandoned him and she was the reason he might die. So she refused. And was forced to watch as her dad beat the little boy again and again and again. How could she defend him against her dad? She was too much of a coward to wish his punishment upon herself and had never seen this side of her father before. She had no idea how to react, and by the time she unfroze, her dad was dragging her out of the warehouse to avoid being blown up by a bomb. The boy and his mother were still inside.

••••

She couldn’t see her dad in the same light. It’s my belief that she would be too sheltered to follow in the footsteps of her father. She knows Gotham’s criminal underbelly, sure, she has most of them in her contact’s list, but she doesn’t have the desire to capitalize on that. She doesn’t have the stomach for that kind of violence. So, when Batman avenges his son and places Joker back in Arkham, she runs. She leaves Gotham and New Jersey and runs. She’s only thirteen, but she manages. 

Manages to build a new life. Maybe she manages to use her father’s ruthlessness in a business setting or maybe she decides to go in the complete opposite direction and help others, help children so she can ignore the gnawing guilt that she was never able to help that one boy. 

A couple years after she leaves Gotham, she’ll read in the news about a new player in Gotham, the Red Hood, and she will be blissfully ignorant of who lays behind that mask. She will be ignorant of the fact that her father lost what was left of his sanity after her departure. She will be ignorant of her own role in Gotham’s demise. As they always say: ignorance is bliss.

**Author's Note:**

> the facts mentioned here about serial killers are true by the way! if you’re interested in learning more you should totally read American Predator by Maureen Callahan


End file.
